


Blooming in Darkness

by ShadowHachia



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowHachia/pseuds/ShadowHachia
Summary: Leo and his wife have had a hard time getting used to being in Castle Krakenburg as of late. The deaths of Xander and Elise weighing heavily on their minds. Aside from the work they have to do now, Leo wants to try and bring a smile to his wife's face.
Relationships: Leon | Leo/Original Character(s), Leon | Leo/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Blooming in Darkness

**Title:** Blooming in Darkness  
 **Fandom:** Fire Emblem: Fates | Birthright  
 **Characters:** Leo, Juniper  
 **Pairing:** Leo/Juniper  
 **Ratings:** K+  
 **Warnings:** N/A  
 **Author Notes:** N/A

Leo watched as the ever darkening skies of Nohr cracked and dampened the ever gloomy atmosphere. The kingdom was always shrouded in darkness and haunted by the never-ending storms above. However, the weather had changed lately, which Leo preferred. Instead of storms, it was raining. The clouds even lifted here and there to let the sun peek through to see the land below. Today it was raining. Seeing the rain only reminded Leo of what happened before seeing his siblings and… He sighed. He couldn’t drift back to those thoughts again. It had been months since he'd thought about them and that incident since he became King of Nohr. Everything had been more difficult, the weight of his people resting on his shoulders and having to deliver on those expectations as well. He’s been handling it remarkably well. Although, he was one of the last members in his family currently made that realization troubling to live with. He wasn’t alone though, not entirely.

Leo had the help of his older sister, Camilla, their retainers, and some of the soldiers that survived the fight against Hoshido. He also had Juniper to help him as well. Always finding a way to brighten his mood and lift his spirits. Seeing him down had bothered her, something he was keenly aware of as it bothered him when she was upset as well. He tried his best to avoid it, not wanting to disappoint or cause her more concern. Seeing her worked up about his well-being never gave him the piece of mind he wanted.

He sighed heavily as he rested his arms on the stone window sill. A soft breeze brushing past his face and sweeping away his bangs. He just looked listlessly at the gardens below. Watching as people walked around, greeting each other and going about their day. Seeing such a thing felt weird but it was relieving that some strand of normalcy returned to Castle Krakenburg. Even if it was a difficult shift, seeing it happen was nice. The people were still hurt about the loss of Xander but at least they were recovering from it. He could only assume that they were doing so better than he and Camilla were at least.

“Hey! I thought I told you smiling was better than what you’re doing with your face.” A familiar voice giggled behind him. Leo turned around to see Juniper and smiled in response to her high spirited attitude. She was always smiling, never a dull moment to be had.

“I was just thinking to myself is all.” He replied as she approached him.

“Explains the angry eyebrows.” She joked. “So, what were you thinking about?”

“Just… recent events.” He shrugged. He didn’t want to bother her with it, having spent some of his private time just talking about everything to her. Supposing that if he told her that he had been thinking of Xander and Elise might start something. For better or for worse, Leo just decided to keep his statement vague. “Anyways, what were you doing?”

“Oh, just walking around the castle again.” She said, sliding next to him as she leaned against the stone window sill. “You’d think I’d have gotten over how big this place is by now.”

“What did you find this time?” He asked, looking at her and awaiting her response.

“Well, I found Silas slacking off again.” She mused. “Though he was trying to get Sophie to help him train some soldiers I think?”

“Those two might cause more trouble than they intend.” Leo sighed.

“At least their intent is good?” Juniper asked as she smiled at him. 

“I suppose…” He replied. Today must be hitting him more than he thought. Giving up on arguments and giving half-hearted responses as well. Normally, he would’ve gladly argued about the usefulness of someone or something, especially with Juniper. He pushed himself up from the window and turned his back towards it as he ventured back into the room. “I need to get back to work before Camilla sends someone to find me again.”

“A-all right.” She nodded as she turned to look at him. She frowned slightly, knowing something was bugging him. It didn’t take a genius to know what it was either. Juniper supposed he was thinking of Xander and Elise again. Her smile returned when he looked at her for a moment. “I’ll see you later?”

“Of course.” Leo smiled a little before turning his head again to leave the room.

Juniper watched as he left, the smile leaving her face as he receded. She hated that this was affecting him so much. Xander had always been there and was irreplaceable and Elise was about the same. Both being very influential to his life despite whatever squabbles Leo had with his siblings. At least he had Camilla, someone to relate to with the pain. Juniper wasn’t out of the picture entirely either. She tried to be there for him when he needed it but lately, he’d been pretty distant. She wasn’t sure if it was because of his new role as King of Nohr or if it was the lack of being able to properly mourn the loss of his family. It was probably both but he had to appear strong as the people mourned.

Juniper sighed heavily and turned back towards the window. She looked out at the gloomy landscape with a blank stare. She felt like she was overanalyzing this but she was starting to be more concerned for Leo. Just with how distant he had been acting lately and then disappearing for hours on end during the night. He was always there in the bed the next morning, but she still worried about where he had been. She wanted to ask him what he was doing but she also wanted to give him the space he needed. It could be that he was sorting something out and wanted to be on his own. She had no idea but the conflicting feelings about what to do seemed never-ending.

“Eh, I’m sure he’ll be alright.” Juniper muttered to herself. “If he wanted to talk, he’d tell me… right?” About a few minutes later, she opted to go back to her own duties as Queen. A title she was starting to wonder if she’d ever get used to.

The day passed pretty quickly afterwards, both of them falling into their routines once more. Long, arduous, and full of various decisions and people. Both were exhausted from their days and went to retire for the night. About some time after they settled in, one of them had gotten to their feet and out of the bed.

Leo left the room, careful not to awaken Juniper. Much like he had the previous nights before, he had Brynhildr in hand. He held the doorknob with his free hand, cautiously closing the door so he wouldn’t wake his wife. Once the door softly clicked into place, he quietly walked away from the room. The farther he walked down the hallway, the quicker he increased his pace. He made his way through the castle, seeing the odd servant walking about and scurrying away. Knights were dutifully watching over their posts although, Leo wasn’t sure if it was like that because he was walking by. Regardless, he continued to his destination.

Though one could suppose it was hard to tell the time of day in Nohr, those who lived in the kingdom knew. It was always darker than usual at night, not so much that anyone couldn’t see but it was noticeable. There was the moon and the bioluminescent plants that decorated the castle grounds that helped him see. He walked out of the castle and into the courtyard he had been looking at earlier than day. He continued, crossing paths with soldiers and various flora that were trying to grow. Trying being the operative word. Not many things grew in Nohr, or could. It wasn’t impossible however the lack of sunlight made it difficult. Though, that’s what Leo had been trying to do lately.

He knew he was worrying Juniper as of late and he wanted to fix that, so she would be more at ease. It was a bit of a walk off the castle grounds, his goal was hidden away in a secluded area. Trees loomed over him as he made his way, as if trying to deter his progress. A failed attempt if anything, as the threat just brushed off his shoulders. Soon he found his way into a small clearing. Bushes encircled the area around him as the trees reached towards the skies. Weeds decorated the grass, dandelions could be seen here and there. A small flower was in the center, a blue glow emitting from it. It was faint but still noticeable.

Leo walked up to the flower, kneeling down and opening Brynhildr. After finding the page he needed he started to chant a spell. The wind around him kicked up a little, causing a slight breeze as he opened his free hand over the flower. His eyes stayed on the flower for the most part, rarely flickering to the lines he was reciting. He had been at this for a while now, he couldn’t recall when he started. It was the same thing every night. For a few hours, he’d try to use his spells to ebb life into it.

Juniper mentioned seeing a flower like this a long time ago. Well, rather what felt it. He remembered her mentioning it to Elise once and had the idea to try to grow it. If he could, he was certain she’d be overjoyed. He was only more determined to do it lately. Mostly because Juniper had been pretty concerned over him so he wanted to go through the extra effort to give her something. A chance to see the flower she talked about in full bloom -- or as close as Leo could get it to full bloom. About a few hours later, he stopped and turned around to go to bed. Making a note to try again tomorrow night to see if any progress had been made.

A few days passed since then and both Leo and Juniper were attending to their given tasks. Camilla was there to offer her assistance, which helped them both immensely. Eventually, Juniper asked if Camilla would prefer to take over for her duties. Much to her relief, Camilla did just that. Juniper carefully slipped away, deciding to walk around the castle for a bit and maybe find something else to do. Rearranging the castle decorations wasn’t her forte anyway. So why not let Camilla go through it instead? She seemed more than welcoming to the idea at any rate.

It wasn’t that Juniper didn’t want to be Queen, it was that it still felt foreign to her. Although, a lot of things were pretty foreign to her at the moment. Such as not seeing Elise or Xander walking around, carrying much of the cheerful life that was once abundant. It felt so much more quiet and dull. Not that she, Leo, or anyone else couldn’t replace it but trying to get over that pain was something else indeed. However, that was for another time. For now she just wanted to find something to do that was relaxing.

Her walk led her outside of the castle and into the gardens. She smiled and waved at all the guards and servants she found. Making an effort to get to know them and see what they were up to. She continued her way around the castle grounds, letting her feet guide her as she took in the nice day. Hard to tell with the darkness, but the sky was less gloomy. Juniper believed some sunlight had beaten through the clouds to at least lighten up the area. If anything, some of the bioluminescent plants were doing fine work of that themselves. She kept walking until she saw something strange. A faint blue glow coming from behind some bushes.

She walked towards it and felt a little awed. There was the flower she remembered mentioning to Elise long ago. It looked like it had grown over the past few months. The blue glow was more eye catching and it was standing upright as opposed to drooping downwards. However, it was the figure next to it that surprised her more. She saw Leo kneeling over it, holding Brynhildr, and mumbling a spell under his breath. He seemed so into what he was doing that she noticed he hadn’t realized she was there yet. Although, the excitement coursing through her overrode that as her mind jumped all over the place. To various conclusions as to what Leo was up to.

Was he doing this for her? Or maybe Elise? Did he grow it using Brynhildr specifically? Or did that flower simply grow according to nature? Dozens more crossed her mind until she saw Leo move. He had pushed himself up to his feet and closed the spellbook in his hand. Before he could move, she ran out towards him.

“Wait!” She said. Her sudden appearance spooked him as she saw him visibly jump back before he turned to look at her.

“Juniper!” He said, looking embarrassed. His face turned a shade of pink as he tried to think of what to say next. “I… uh… this is… I can explain.” Although, she didn’t really need one. She just walked over towards him, wrapping her arms around him and leaned into his chest. She didn’t need to look at him to know he was still perplexed. Having known him for as long as she’s had, she knew he was still trying to think of what to say.

“Leo, this is amazing.” She said, looking down at the flower again. She felt his arms wrap around her and his head leaning against her’s.

“I just didn’t want you to be more concerned than you already were.” He said quietly. “I know I’ve been acting differently lately but with all that’s happened…”

“I get it.” She replied. “You don’t have to explain it to me.”

“No but… I did want to do something that might make you smile.” He continued. “I remember you and Elise talking about this flower a while ago so I’ve been sneaking off every night to see if I could grow it. I’ve had a hard time sleeping so I presumed I might make myself useful.”

“Well, I think it looks amazing!” She smiled, looking up at him. “Leo, you know I’m always going to worry about you though. No matter what might happen. It’s that terrible side effect that comes with me liking you."

“And I, you.” He said, smiling back at her. He pressed his lips against her forehead before tightening his grip on her. “I just want to see you smile about something. Like I said, after all that’s happened, it’d be good to be happy again.”

Juniper looked up at him and just leaned her head against his chest again. She felt some tears welling up and just laughed as they effortlessly slid down her face. Curious, he used a hand to bring her face into view and wiped the stray tears away. They leaned their heads against one another again, wanting to just enjoy the moment.


End file.
